Chapter 397: Has the Warrior of Love turned into a Warrior of Promises? (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

After the gameplay Expo, NetDragon and TengHua were still building momentum for their two VR blockbusters.

Nebula Games, however, didn't make players wait too long.

On the fifth day after the expo, Chen Xu's official Weibo account post and a video released by Nebula Games' official channels immediately ignited the buzz around the Switch handheld console.

The promotional video for the new Switch handheld console showed a beautiful girl in pajamas sitting cross-legged on a sofa in a spacious living room, playing a game on her television with a controller in hand.

Beside her was the Switch in its docking station, and the screen displayed Fall Guys.

Just as she was about to cross the finish line, a pair of mischievous little hands from the side grabbed her, and she was eliminated.

The girl made a frustrated expression, but the next moment, seeing the time on the clock, she quickly got up from the sofa and rushed to the bathroom.

She put on makeup, changed clothes, and prepared to go out.

Before leaving, however, she walked over to the Switch on the table, took it out, and put it into her bag. The camera gave a special close-up shot of this action.

The next scene in the video was on the subway. The girl, sitting on a horizontal bench seat, took out her Switch from her backpack.

The screen showed Animal Forest.

Innumerable island resident animals greeted her warmly as she fished and tidied up her island.

After reaching her stop, the girl arrived at a park.

Many people were already waiting there. Upon seeing the girl, everyone waved.

Beside them, each also had a Switch laid out.

Then, everyone unplugged one of the controllers from their respective Switches, splitting them into two to team up and play games together.

Following this were fragmented clips:

Players lying in bed playing the Switch, players taking out their Switch from their bags during lunch breaks at work.

During weekend offline gatherings, everyone played various games together on their Switches:

Super Mario Odyssey, Fall Guys, Overcooked...

In addition, there were several classic arcade games produced in the middle, such as Metal Slug, Snow Bros., Ikaruga, and Mushihimesama.

After these game scenes finished playing, the promotional video displayed a specifications list for the Switch.

Looking at the relevant specifications, knowledgeable players and industry designers alike were stunned.

It wasn't too high; it was simply too low!

Everyone looked bewildered.

Based on the hardware specifications released for the Switch, its configuration could only be described as average.

In terms of performance, it couldn't even compare to some flagship smartphones.

“Is this thing really a handheld console?!”

But the next moment, the console's price was revealed, leaving everyone stunned again.

Because... the price was simply too cheap.

“1299 Yuan?!”

Everyone was bewildered by this price.

Compared to its hardware cost, this price was clearly higher than the production cost.

But the calculations couldn't be done that way!

Labor costs for machine production, R&D costs for the handheld console – these require money, right?

And the subsequent marketing and advertising costs for console sales, including stocking products for offline distributors – that also requires money, right?

At a price of 1299 Yuan, it was clear that Nebula Games had no intention of making money on the hardware, and might even incur losses.

Many gaming industry designers and game developers were dumbfounded.

For players, however, this price brought many surprises.

Especially the list of games launching on the Switch.

Dark Souls and Monster Hunter: World – many players subconsciously didn't even consider these.

Because these two looked like mere grand promises.

And there was no in-game footage either.

Even if they were to be released, seeing the Switch's specifications, most players already knew.

There was a high probability that some visual fidelity would be cut, and it might even be locked at 30 frames per second.

But other games were different; they had already been showcased at the expo.

And this time, many new games were added.

From the visuals, these games certainly couldn't compare to mainstream PC and VR devices.

But for handheld console players, since they chose a handheld console, they had, to some extent, already made certain trade-offs and set their psychological expectations.

At least with the price of 1299, what more could you ask for? It was a cabbage-level price.

On Chen Xu's official Weibo account, a post regarding the latest Switch news was also published.

“First, the Switch will launch on Children's Day, June 1st, allowing all players to experience the joy of gaming. This is what we hope the Switch can achieve.”

“Games on the Switch will be available as digital versions and physical game cartridges.”

“The physical cartridges will be 2cm*3cm in size, with a thickness of only 3mm, so there's no need to worry about carrying them around.”

“Of course, to prevent accidental ingestion by children or pets at home, we have coated the cartridges with denatonium benzoate, a chemical harmless to humans. Its main characteristic, however, is its bitterness.”

“Hmm, as for how bitter it is, I believe no one will enjoy that taste.”

“In addition, on the Switch, we are introducing a new service: the membership service. Players can choose to subscribe to a monthly or annual fee, or opt for a family membership.”

“Members will enjoy cloud saves and online multiplayer services, and will also have free access to numerous games in the membership library.”

“On launch day, in addition to high-quality ported games like Overcooked, Fall Guys, and It Takes Two, there will also be two exclusive Switch titles: Animal Forest and Super Mario Odyssey.”

“In the coming years, we also plan to specifically develop several exclusive games for the Switch.”

“This will not be a handheld console with a lifespan of only one or two years. In Nebula Games' planning, the Switch will have a much stronger lifespan.”

“And in the second half of the year, we will bring an unprecedented open-world game specifically for the Switch.”

On the official Weibo account, Chen Xu briefly introduced the relevant content of the Switch.

Furthermore, before its release, Nebula Games will hold a special direct presentation to bring players more new information about the Switch.

Of course, Chen Xu would no longer intervene in this aspect.

………………

As Nebula Games started its warm-up promotion for the Switch.

Players online and peers in the gaming industry began to discuss animatedly.

The low pricing, which didn't rely on the machine itself for profit, along with the subsequent operation plan and dedicated exclusive games.

All of these indicated Nebula Games' resource investment, leading to polarized opinions among many.

“Nebula Games must have too much money with nowhere to spend it, right?”

“While the Switch concept looks cool and flashy, isn't the configuration too low?”

“Yeah, with this hardware, can Nebula Games really pull off any new tricks? It feels like they're all just mini-games!”

“Right, and Switch with an open world? I think that's a joke.”

Of course, there were also many who were anticipating and curious.

“The cartridges have a unique taste? I wonder what it tastes like!”

“I checked, that stuff is called bittering agent. I just don't know how bitter it is.”

“Is no one talking about the new games? They looked exciting at the expo!”

“We'll know when we play it, but compared to the games, I'm more interested in the grand promises Mr. Chen has made. The console hasn't even been released, and he's already making promises for years down the line!”

“Haha, honestly, this time Mr. Chen's promises are a bit over the top. Although Animal Forest and Super Mario Odyssey look interesting, he even promised an open-world game in the end.”

“233333, the Warrior of Love has turned into a Warrior of Promises.”

Players discussed enthusiastically.

Ultimately, whether the Switch would succeed would depend on its final sales.

As for what Chen Xu said on the official Weibo account about the Switch and open-world games, players didn't think too much about it.

Mainly because it was hard to imagine.

Switch and open-world?

Compared to VR and PC, the weak performance of this console simply couldn't be connected to an open world.

(End of Chapter) <>